Chapter 32: Intelligence

Chapter 32: Intelligence

Inside the minotaur's bus.

The belated "tch" from the Origami Teenager, after a brief silence, left his face as cold as ice.

After spitting, Zhou Qian sat down, an action so bizarre that anyone watching would have been tempted to question his sanity.

The vehicle continued its journey through the tunnel, with Zhou Qian drifting in and out of sleep. His body was relaxed; before officially entering the instance, this was a relatively safe period.

Just as he was about to slip into deep slumber, a sound akin to nails on a chalkboard echoed outside the window.

Zhou Qian, his head against the glass, heard the sound resonate through his eardrums, causing him to instinctively open his eyes—only to meet the sight of a pair of eyes, devoid of focus, staring intently at him from the window.

"!"

The unexpected visitor outside the window scratched at the glass fiercely, their corpse bloated from being submerged for too long.

The other players remained calm. It was common to witness such grotesque sights in the tunnel, remnants of players who had failed to evolve properly.

The minotaur didn't slow down, and during the bumpy ride, the creature hanging onto the bus was eventually shaken off like a louse.

There were platforms set up within the tunnel.

The vehicle decelerated and stopped, allowing several figures to board.

Tap.

Tap tap.

The newcomers moved slowly, their footsteps heavy and deliberate, as if all their strength was concentrated in their ankles.

Zhou Qian, no longer drowsy, fixed his gaze on the door.

An elderly woman hunched over, her head entering the bus before her body.

An older player? At least she looked normal.

Before he could exhale, behind the old lady, another head identical to hers suddenly appeared. This second head, however, had its left cheek covered in tumors, and its narrow eyes locked onto Zhou Qian.

These piercing eyes lingered on Zhou Qian for a moment, during which the neck stretched, revealing bright red gums.

"Tch," Zhou Qian responded.

The conjoined old ladies and the other players aboard the bus were taken aback.

For some inexplicable reason, the Origami Teenager felt a sense of balance. It was clear that this individual was simply deranged.

The conjoined old ladies took their seats at the front with a sinister expression, and soon, the second passenger boarded.

Zhou Qian subconsciously counted heads first.

Fortunately, this passenger only had one head, but when he turned to sit down, Zhou Qan's breath caught. The man had four additional arms growing from his back, irregularly positioned as if forcibly attached.

The last passenger to board was more conventional in appearance, save for his limbs being made of metal—a cyborg of sorts.

The three monstrous passengers began chatting upon boarding, occasionally emitting eerie laughter.

Meanwhile, the players on the bus started to act.

They didn't disturb the new passengers seated at the front, instead, they stole items from some of the original monster passengers. Clearly, before all the passengers had arrived, the players were hoping to find weaker targets.

After comparing their options, they ultimately chose to target the initial batch of passengers.

The college student asked, "Everyone's stealing white cards, should we do the same?"

Zhou Qian remained silent, and the college student followed his gaze to see the baseball cap-wearing figure walking forward.

He was tall, wearing a black cardigan printed with a gallows pattern. A skull ring on his hand rotated around his finger at regular intervals, acting as a substitute for his eyes to survey the surroundings.

A thought crossed Zhou Qian's mind: neither human nor ghost.

As the Origami Teenager passed by, he reined in his arrogant demeanor.

He stopped at the front.

The conjoined old ladies didn't need to look up; the second head had been watching since the baseball cap wearer approached. Perhaps remembering Zhou Qian's earlier display, the head's first reaction was: is he here to spit on us too?

After two seconds, the conjoined old ladies' forked tongue licked their lips—a sign of impending consumption.

The baseball cap wearer remained eerily calm, slowly lifting the bandage on his wrist, from which black gas emerged.

Zhou Qian frowned. He had seen this black gas inside a statue before, but the black gas released by the baseball cap wearer was weak in aggression. Still, the fact that a human could generate the essence of a monster was peculiar in itself.

He got up and sat next to the Origami Teenager, deliberately asking, "Is that person very powerful?"

Given the teenager's arrogance, he was bound to reveal the answer while rebutting.

Indeed, the Origami Teenager dismissed him as a country bumpkin, sneering, "What do you think? He just forcibly extracted the yin energy from one of the monster passengers on the bus, then absorbed it into his body and released it again, temporarily disguising himself as a monster."

Whether extracting or injecting the energy into his body, anyone else attempting such a feat would likely perish.

The Origami Teenager's tone carried a hint of rare admiration. "A top-ranking big shot from the Black Magic Society, his body has evolved to at least seventy percent."

Black Magic Society?

In this game, the association was well-known, but to Zhou Qian, it was merely a foreign term.

He asked, "What's the difference between us and the monsters? Monsters have thoughts and special abilities, and humans who have evolved also possess them, albeit to a lesser extent."

"A dog on the street has thoughts and intelligence, just lower than humans. Its sense of smell can be considered a special ability compared to humans. What's the difference between you and a dog?"

A player in the backseat laughed without restraint.

Zhou Qian, however, clapped in admiration. "A good question. The brilliance of this question is not inferior to whether whales came first or the whaling association."

A player in the seat behind wanted to laugh, but suddenly, she clutched her ears tightly.

Moments ago, the girl had attempted to eavesdrop on the monster passengers using a special method, but it was forcefully interrupted.

The baseball cap wearer glanced over, his eyes issuing a subtle warning that made the girl suppress her complaints.

The Origami Teenager's fingers deftly folded paper, and soon a paper crane quietly flew across the gap. Unfortunately, before it could get close, it was casually caught between the fingers of the baseball cap wearer, who then crushed it into dust with a slight movement.

The Origami Teenager's expression soured. "He wants to monopolize all the information."

Zhou Qian feigned confusion. "Why monopolize information? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to share information and help each other?"

In the eyes of the Origami Teenager, Zhou Qian now resembled how Han Li viewed the college student.

The Origami Teenager spat at him. "Idiot! Do you understand information warfare? That information can be sold to others at a high price. Do you think this is a mutual aid group? He'd rather we all die to reduce the difficulty."

"I see," Zhou Qian said, as if enlightened.

It seemed the game arranged for monster passengers for two purposes.

First, to allow players to discover commonalities and steal the white cards; second, to offer a more challenging optional question—players had the opportunity to learn valuable information from the later-boarding passengers.

The Origami Teenager was in a foul mood, unable to offend the big shot, and was about to vent his frustration on Zhou Qian once more.

To his surprise, the young man beside him suddenly stood up.

"You..."

Zhou Qian didn't stop walking, bypassing his original seat, and finally, he directly passed the baseball cap wearer, moving closer to the three ghost-like passengers who had recently boarded.

The Origami Teenager was stunned, as were the others, even the hooded man who had been closing his eyes opened them slightly, revealing blood-red pupils.

Facing the second person to approach, the conjoined old ladies' expression grew colder, both faces twisted in a menacing smile.

Zhou Qian sat down right next to the conjoined old ladies.

This reckless behavior caused the baseball cap wearer to narrow his eyes slightly.

In the back row, the Origami Teenager was initially dumbfounded, then burst out laughing. "This fool doesn't actually think he can just go over and listen, does he?"

Suicide wasn't carried out in such a manner.

From the moment Zhou Qian sat down, the conjoined old ladies' smiles vanished. Their aged eyelids developed a sickly white film, and the sister on her back had already opened her mouth wide.

Zhou Qian drew inspiration from the baseball cap wearer's experience.

After blurring the boundaries between any monster, he was no longer targeted by the monsters. Looking at the conjoined old ladies, he said solemnly, "Look, I also have two heads."

Removing his wig, his icy blue hair cascaded down, shimmering even under the dim cabin lights.

The entire bus fell silent.

Not because they were captivated by the long hair, but rather, they were bewildered by Zhou Qian's actions.

Evolved organs of the players would differ somewhat, but this couldn't deceive the monsters.

To the monsters, a human was still a human.

Just as humans might see a two-headed dog, but in their eyes, it was still a dog.

What truly distinguished humans from ghosts in the eyes of the monsters was the different "qi" emanating from them.

Thus, the conjoined old ladies paused briefly before angrily stretching their necks, opening their mouths wide to bite off Zhou Qian's head, eager to savor the refreshing burst of jelly.

The delicious flesh was within reach, but in an instant, the old lady missed her target, her cloudy eyes following Zhou Qian as he stepped back. "Young man, you're quick."

Zhou Qian calmly removed his glasses. "I have another pair of eyes."

They were clean and clear, more beautiful than the purest sapphire. He emphasized, "Look, they're blue."

Some passengers in the backseat were already so embarrassed they could dig their toes into the ground.

The conjoined old ladies, however, paused for two seconds. Those eyes, staring straight back, instilled a faint sense of fear in her.

Two seconds later, she forcibly dispelled this feeling.

Perhaps feeling mocked, the conjoined old ladies' cheeks bulged as they rolled. Determined that no matter what the other party said this time, she would devour him!

"Wait!"

Wait for your whole family!

"Let me show you my heart last."

The conjoined old ladies halted once again!

Not only her, but the other players also cast curious glances, tilting their heads to peer, could he really produce a heart?

Zhou Qian stood motionless.

As the conjoined old ladies' patience wore thin and she was about to explode, Zhou Qian softly asked, "Can't you see it?"

"Hold on."

This time, the one who called for a pause was the passenger with multiple arms: "Can I touch it?"

Zhou Qian dodged swiftly.

However, this one seemed to sense something, whispering to the other two monsters. The elongated neck of the conjoined old woman retracted, and her wrinkled face bloomed into a smile: "So that's how it is."

No wonder when he boarded the vehicle, she had vaguely sensed an unsettling aura.

Poisonous gazes occasionally swept over Zhou Qian's chest area, greed and malice flickering in the eyes of the conjoined old woman.

Zhou Qian merely smiled faintly, allowing himself to be scrutinized.

Xun Er, oh Xun Er, your five-star fish eye is truly useful.

And that damned game, predictably setting me up again.

During the mission settlement, it was specifically noted that the fish eye and heart had further merged, and Zhou Qian always felt uneasy about that sentence. Xun Er hadn't known the exact location of the fish eye before, so he wanted to test if, after the deeper fusion, the monsters could sense anything.

His guess was now confirmed; a five-star fish eye would indeed arouse the desire of other monsters.

Perhaps its aura would strengthen even more later, attracting more covetous eyes.

The baseball cap kept an eye on where the monster passengers' gaze was focused, his eyes sweeping over Zhou Qian's chest as if hiding some treasure.

Sensing that greedy look, Zhou Qian smiled; he loved making greedy people lose everything.

Now, the three monsters seemed to have fully accepted Zhou Qian with his dual hearts, no longer showing any murderous intent.

They were about to start chatting again, but they were interrupted by a loud song.

"Unity is strength~"

Clear and resonant, it nearly dispelled the terrifying atmosphere in the car.

The three monster passengers: "…"

Zhou Qian belted out another verse.

The old woman's shriveled lips moved: "What are you doing?"

"Seeing such beautiful sisters, I was moved and suddenly felt like singing."

Sisters?

In the driver's seat, the minotaur whose corner of the mouth had just twitched at being called 'brother' twitched slightly again.

Zhou Qian looked seriously at the old woman: "You two are the epitome of sisterhood."

Monsters liked straightforward flattery, and both heads of the conjoined old woman laughed, their branches swaying.

The baseball cap immediately knew what Zhou Qian was up to, his expression turning colder.

Zhou Qian ignored him, speaking to the conjoined old woman: "Sister, a little brat who plays with paper told me earlier that information is most valuable, and monopolizing some can make you a fortune selling it to others."

The conjoined old woman rasped: "Some insight."

To mimic the aura of a monster required using the body as a conductor, and the baseball cap clearly couldn't maintain it for long. Blood began seeping through the bandages on his hands, and after giving Zhou Qian a cold look, he had to turn back to his seat.

The origami boy tried to say something halfway through, but was silenced by a cold glare from the baseball cap.

The origami boy's expression stiffened.

Damn it, what does this have to do with me?!

The college student also muttered in defense of the origami boy: "Clearly, you just summarized what he did, why get angry?"

A rear-seat passenger glanced over.

Where did this oddity come from? Quite good at stirring things up.

After a moment, Zhou Qian returned, adjusting his wig as he asked: "Everyone, bidding?"

When the college student heard the last three words, he subconsciously shivered.

Here it comes, another buyer's market?

"I've just obtained some decent information, selling cheap."

When the baseball cap left, the front-seat passengers hadn't discussed anything substantial yet. So currently, only Zhou Qian held important intelligence.

Surrounded by unfriendly gazes, Zhou Qian yawned, repeating: "Bidding?"

Points, items, bring them on!

The baseball cap slowly changed the bandages on his arm, then suddenly said: "Cooperation can improve survival rates in multiplayer scenarios. I'm willing to share the information I heard earlier for free."

Saying it was free sharing was just a way to fabricate some inconsequential information. But that brief statement put Zhou Qian on the spot; if he sold the information, he would offend everyone.

After the baseball cap made his stance clear, several gazes instantly fell on Zhou Qian.

Someone spoke up: "Are you willing…?"

Zhou Qian smiled: "Would you saddle the horse for my journey? If you're willing, then I am too."

The college student gently tugged on Zhou Qian's sleeve, suggesting he keep a lower profile.

A small white card was tossed over, and the college student froze before hurriedly accepting it in surprise.

Zhou Qian played with the other small white card he had taken from the old woman's pocket, smiling ambiguously: "Is the false goodwill of these people more important than points? More important than items?"

The college student subconsciously shook his head.

"If not, why bother persuading me."

"…"

Author's Note:

Zhou Qian's Travel Diary:

Overtime, great sorrow; temporarily escaping the boss, great joy.